Coffee is a tropical evergreen plant originating in Ethiopia but now grown worldwide. Two species, Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora, are predominantly sold as a recreational stimulant. Referred to “joe”, “java”, “brew”, “mud”, “liquid cocaine”, “espresso” and “go juice”, coffee is a drug of abuse, primarily used for its psychoactive and stimulant effects, similar to …
Dr. Lance McMahon is Chair of the Department of Pharmacodynamics at University of Florida College of Pharmacy. Dr. McMahon is involved in pioneering kratom research that looks at the various kratom alkaloids, how they function on our brain receptors, and how that creates kratom’s complex effects on our bio. We talk about this research, where …
A pharmacologist today may regard traditional and plant medicine as primitive, and may entirely disregard thousands of years of use and thousands of modern-day testimonies of positive outcomes because it has not been through the rigors of hard science. On the other hand, the massive spread of anti-science misinformation has cast sometimes unreasonable doubt on …
Combining traditional plant medicine with modern medical technology Read More »
In October 2018 we covered a sensationalist news story out of Florida where the director of a for-profit rehabilitation center claimed that kratom caused hallucinations (Scripps Media, 2018). Multiple news stories, press releases by government agencies, and even peer-reviewed published studies have made this claim, all without a shred of hard evidence. The most comprehensive …
A list of baseless claims that kratom causes hallucinations Read More »
Cleveland Clinic is one of the highest ranking and most reputable hospital systems in the United States. The nonprofit established in 1921 (Happy Anniversary!) serves over 7 million patients per year, houses the top cardiology program in the nation, and has international campuses in Canada, the UK, and the United Arab Emirates. The Cleveland Clinic …
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been an outspoken enemy of legal kratom since 2012. The FDA’s official stance on kratom as of 2019 has been to warn Americans that kratom is a dangerous drug that should never be consumed. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to use Mitragyna speciosa, …
Does the FDA want to control kratom because they know it’s safe? Read More »
So far, no scientific evidence has been found linking kratom and hair loss, but it seems from several online forums that a very small percentage of American consumers are experiencing this bizarre side effect. Many also report that after discontinuing kratom, their hair grows back. What could be the cause? I could find virtually no …
What’s causing hair loss, a rare side effect in kratom consumers? Read More »
What is CBG? Many have heard about CBD, but are you familiar with CBG? Yeah, you read that right, CBG, or in long-form, Cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), is an all-essential aspect of any cannabis plant. A cannabinoid in it’s own right, CBGA serves as the mother to all other cannabinoids. Meaning, CBGA is the very first …
An audio version of this interview can be found on the Kratom Science Podcast #40 Kratom Science: How did you become involved with studying kratom? Oliver Grundmann: It’s an interesting way, how I got involved with kratom. In 2015 one of my Masters students who works in the forensic field with a forensic toxicology lab …
A new study from Thailand (La-up, 2021) found traditional users of kratom had elevated levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL or “good” cholesterol) and low levels of triglycerides, or “fats from the food we eat that are carried in the blood” (Cleveland Clinic 2019). High HDL, low levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad” cholesterol), and …
Correlation Found Between Thai Kratom Users and “Good” Cholesterol Levels Read More »